Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon And Dean Hale and illustrated by Nathan Hale

Summary from Goodreads:

Once upon a time, in a land you only think you know, lived a little girl and her mother . . . or the woman she thought was her mother.

Every day, when the little girl played in her pretty garden, she grew more curious about what lay on the other side of the garden wall . . . a rather enormous garden wall.

And every year, as she grew older, things seemed weirder and weirder, until the day she finally climbed to the top of the wall and looked over into the mines and desert beyond.

Newbery Honor-winning author Shannon Hale teams up with husband Dean Hale and brilliant artist Nathan Hale (no relation) to bring readers a swashbuckling and hilarious twist on the classic story as you've never seen it before. Watch as Rapunzel and her amazing hair team up with Jack (of beanstalk fame) to gallop around the wild and western landscape, changing lives, righting wrongs, and bringing joy to every soul they encounter.

Review:

This was pure joy to read. This was a recipe for success in my book: fairytale turned revenge story, girl hero with lots and lots of hair, monsters, adventures, western setting, and even a little romance thrown in. I seriously want more books like this. And only in finding the picture of the cover to post in this entry just now, did I even realize there’s a sequel! I must get my hands on Calamity Jack.

I’ve been on a reading frenzy kick lately. This is good because for months, I was in a slump. Basically, I’ve been putting down books I’m not feeling. I’ve been reading what I want when I want and paying less and less attention to library wait lists and books for review. I’m not sure this is the best plan, but I’ve certainly been a lot happier with my reading choices.

I’m also not going to lie; I was one book shy of my yearly goal and the morning of Dec 31, I pulled off this graphic novel from my TBR shelf, knowing I’d be able to read it quickly. Sadly, I wish it was bigger and that it took me longer to read because I loved it so much.

I love traditional fairytales that are turned upside down and usually involve a girl main character who saves the day, instead of the prince. This one was that but so much more. Rapunzel is on a mission to save her birth mom, someone she didn’t even realize existed until too late.  She’s a naïve character who has to learn how the world truly is. Instead of then wanting to take advantage of the world (like her “adoptive” mother wants”) she instead decides she’d rather fix it. I also loved Jack, the thief/best friend/love interest. Their chemistry is fantastic.

I was also a fan of the art. It was bright and fun, and easy to follow. Someone not experienced with graphic novels would have an easy time reading it. I also love that Rapunzel wasn’t hyper sexualized or even always pretty. She was dressed strangely through most of it, and her hair was always in practical, and sometimes violent braids. I really enjoyed this. I give it a 10/10.